Traffic signal-tower.



s. c. REPSHOL DL TRAFFIC SIGNAL TOWER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2,. NUS.

1 ,27 5 ,749 liatented Aug. 13, 1918;

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.-

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al'Iioznaq I s. c. REPSHQLDT. TRAFFIC SIGNAL TOWER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2r I916.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Fe all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Senna UEWISTIAN Rnrsnorn'r, a citizen of the United States oi America, residin at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and tate of Nebraska, .have 1nvented certain new and useful llmprovements in 'lrafic Signal-Towers, oi which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto new and useiul improvements in trafic signal tower.

The primary object of the invention is the i provision of a signal tower especially adapted for street crossings providw with trafic signals readily operable by the crossing oficer positioned within the tower, provision being made for, the display of orders at diametri cally opposite sides of the tower viewable in the direction of the oncoming trafic.

A further object oithe device is the pro vision "of an elevated tower at streetintersections for the accommodation of the trafic or crossing oflicer stationed thereat, a ready means being arranged whereby the .odicer ina gain enitand entrance to the tower while the latter is provided with telephonic communication with distantly positioned similar towers at other street corners.

h stilliurther object is the provision of tour suitably arranged crossing signals havingilluminating devices, the signals being readily shiitable simultaneously by the odice'r in charge in accordance with the trailic regulations,-. readily discernible did'erent courses at the f to 4 horizontal sectional view through t e inner} audible aims being automatically sound ed for denoting which oi the two through 7 street intersection is open for tnafic. r

in the drawings forming a part of this application and in which like reference characters rotor to corresponding parts throughout the several views: v Figure l is a central vertloal sectlonal broken away. v

Fig. 2 is a transverse horizontal sectional view through the tower.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through one of the signals, enlarged.

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail lo 'tudinal end portion thereon.v r 'F' .5 is a perspective view of one of the signlfiboardsdet Fig. 6 is a treat elevation. lot the lower r w l w 1:

22) adjacent the to of the column.

specification cl Letters Patent. Patented ding... l3, jllfilfil hpplication filed hcptemhcr ll, lhld. tcrial lt'o. llhttft.

portion oi the mounting member oi the device showing the elevator in its lowered position.

Fig. 7 is; a transverse horizontal sectional view thereot.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the retaining latch for the elevator.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the signal operating means, parts'being broken away.

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view Fig. 11 ,is, a perspective view or the selective audible signal members upon the roof of the tower, and

Fig. 12 is a'reduced perspective view illus trating the position oi the device at the in-- tersection of two strwt car lines at a corner crossing.

The present device broadly consists of a substantially cubical tower 10 mounted upon through the central portion thereof, parts being shown in side elevation.

thetop of a tubular column or post ll. vertithe trafic upon the said tracks as well asthe streets upon which they are positioned travels forwardly upon the right hand side of the street in the customary manner.-

The tower 101 is provided with an entrance and exit opening or door it in'the bottom thereof at one side of the column ll, the latter being provided with outwardly converging spaced wings 15having rounds 1t trans versely carried thereby forming a ladder between the base 17 of the column and the tower 10. An elevator platform 18 is providw with a notch 19 in its inner side adapt ed for slida'bly mounting the platform upon the wings15 as best illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings, a counterbalanoing weight 20 being positioned within the column 11 connected with the platform 18 by means of a suitable rope 21 passing behind the ladder rounds l6 and arranged over suitable 'ullilelys t is arrangement it'w 1 be seen that the lraffic oficer may stop upon the platform 18 and relewthe retaining latch. 23 carried by the platform whereby the weight 2'0 will assist in the oi the platform and cheer, the

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latter pulling himself up by means of the rounds 16. The descent is readily made in a reverse manner, it being noted that the rounds 16 may be employed as an ordinary ladder if desired, while pairs of anti-friction rollers 24 are carried by the bottom of the platform 18 and travel upon the wings 15.

Each of the four sides of the tower 10 is provided with two windows 25 having parting strips 26 therebetween, outwardly projecting elongated casings 27 being horizonportion'or panel 31 against which the boards 29 slide, the saidboards having suitable signal words such as Stop and Cross as indicated at 32. I i

It being understood that the trafiic moves only forwardly uniformly in opposite directions at the opposite sides of the tower 10, the transparent panels 31 are arranged in the casings 27 upon opposite sides thereof and suitably positioned for viewing the signs upon the boards 29 from the direction of the oncoming tratlic. This is best illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it being understood that the signals upon the other two sides of the tower 10, not therein shown, are similarly arranged, the words Stop and Cross being interchanged upon each of the two pairs of signal boards whereby the. said boards under the control of hereinafter described mechanism always position the word Stop viewable in the easings of one pair of signals while the word Cross always viewable in the other pair of signals.

An operating disk 33 is rotatably carried by a sleeve 34 secured to a vertical shaft 35 centrall arranged within the tower 10, links 36 being pivotally connected between the disk 33 and the inner ends of the boards 29. A projecting handle 37 is carried by the disk 33 whereby the latter may be partially rotated when desired for retracting the boards 29 inwardly of the tower 10 thereby bringing the outer words 32 upon the boards 29 viewable through the transparent panels 31, the handle 37 being then utilized for again projecting the boards by returning the disk to its normal position as best illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. A telephone 38 is positioned within the tower 10 for use by the ofiicer in charge-to communicate with thepiiicer in any distantly positioned tower 10 for such purposes simultaneously appears ravages as giving notice to intercept a vehicle which 'is exceeding the speed limit. Slides 39- are provided upon the casings 27 for covering the panels 31 when the signals are not in use. Mirrors 40 are arranged adjacent two corners of the tower 10 for assisting the officer in viewing the streets. 7

It is often desirable to give different audible signals for the course of travel which is open under permission of the oflicer such as the crossing whistle commonly employed and two bells'40 and 41 are mounted upon the roof 42 of the tower 10 for this-purpose.

Flattened resilient metallic bars 43 arevertically secured upon the disk 33 in radial arrangement with their upper free ends hav ing paths of travel in the planes of the depending free ends 44 of separate tappers 45 for the said bells, the tappers being pivotally mounted upon a yoke bracket 46 carried by the said tower roof, the members 44 projecting through slots 47 and 48 in the said roof. By referring to Fig. 11- of the drawings, it will be seen that'the slot 48 is ofgreater length than the slot 47 allowing the operating bar 43 positioned adjacent thereto to engage and pass the member 44 for ringing the bell 41 infiwhichever direction the disk 33 is'turned when operating the signal boards 29. The bell 41 will therefore ring whenever the signal words are shifted, but by reason of the short length of the slot 47 the bar 43 which engages the tapper portion 44 forthe bell 40 will only ring the same when moving in one direction as the bar 43 will pass thereover when moving in the opposite direction by reason of the flexibility of the said bar, the end 49 of the slot 47 at such times forming an abutment for the tapper end 44 restraining the tapper from swinging pivotally thereby prcventing the bell 40 from ringing during the return movement of the disk 33 I and the boards 29. The shifting of the boards 29 by the ofiicer within the tower thereby arranges the proper set of signal words 32 at the opposite sides of the tower for notifying the approaching vehicles upon both of .the intersecting streets as to which crossing is clear and which one is closed at that time, the ringing of either a single or both of the bells 40 and 41 also denoting corresponding information for the drivers of vehicles in the streets adjacent the tower.

A serviceable trafiic adjunct is provided whereby accidental collisions will be avoided at the intersection of streets, the 'visible as well as the audible signals being positive in their operationflunderthe manipulation of the 'oliicer in charge. The preferred embodiments of the invention are herein illustrat d although it will be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing. from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

. thereof, slides mounted in the casings and ltd having opposite indicia near opposite ends, the casings having transparent portions adapted to disclose the indicia one at atime,

the opposite indicia being arranged alternately on opposite ends of the Slides in adjacent casings, a rotary member mounted in the inclosure, and connections between all of the slides and said rotary member, the rotary member being adapted to be turned in one direction for simultaneously shitting all of the slides for disclosing opposite indicia successively about the inclosure and to be turned in an opposite direction for disclosing the opposite indicia in reversed order.

2. In a trafic signal tower, the combina tion of a column, a tower mounted on the upper end of the column and having four sides adapted to be positioned to face in opposite directions of intersecting streets, each side of the tower having a pair of windows thereat divided by a parting strip, a hollow casingprojecting outward from each parting strip and opening therethrough to the interior of the tower, each casing having a transparent panel in one side of less length than the casing and adapted to face toward oncoming trafic at said side of the tower, a slide in each casing provided with, spaced indicia regulating the movements of the trai lie and the slides in the opposed casings being similar with the intermediate slides having the indicia oppositely arranged thereon, and a central controlling member arranged in the tower and connected to all of said slides for simultaneously operating the same.

3. In a trafic signal for intersecting streets, the combination of a tower having a side facing each radiating street from the intersection, a signal at each side of the tower, and a common operating means connected to all of said signals for simultaneously operating oppositely disposed signals for directing tratfic to proceed and for simultaneously operating other 0 positely disposed signals for directing tra c to stop,

4. ln a trafic signal for intersecting roadways, the combination of a support, an indicating element at each side of the support facing an adjacent radiating roadway, and

operating means connected to all of the indicating elements for simultaneously operating the same to indicate by certain indicating elements for traific to proceed and for indi cating by certain other elements for traxfic to stop.

5. In a trafic signal for intersecting roadi ways, the combination of a tower, signaling elements mounted on the sides of the tower and facing the radiating roadways, and operating means connected to all of the alternate elements for simultaneously operating the same and indicating to traflic. to proceed and connected to all of the intermediate elements for simultaneously indicating to trafic to stop.

6. In a trafic signal for intersecting roadways, the combination of a tower adapted to be placed in the middle of the intersection, signaling elements mounted on the sides of the tower-and facing the respective radiating roadways, and means within the tower connected to the alternate elements for operating the same and indicating to trafic to roceed, and connected to all of the intermedlate' elements for indicating to trafic to mop.

7. In a tra fic signaling device for inter secting roadways, the combination of a tower, a shaft vertically mounted in the tower, a disk carried by the shalt to turn therewith, indicating elements movably mounted upon the sides of the tower and facing the radiating roadways, and links connectin the indicating elements to said disk for slmultaneously moving the indicating elements when the disk is turned, to indicate by oppositely-disposed indicatin elements for trafic to roceed and to in icate by other oppositelyisposed indicating elements for trafific to stop.

In testimony whereof l aflix my signature.

sen itltl urrotnr. 

